Thatiana Brasil Gregoire

Thatiana Brasil Gregoire, 45, passed away peacefully in her Orlando, Florida home after a courageous twelve year battle with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Thati, also known as “Chef Thati” due to her love of cooking, was born in Caruaru, Pernambuco, Brazil, to parents Antonio Da Silva and Maria Brasil. She is survived by her loving wife, Pamela Gregoire, of Orlando; her sister, Edjane Costa, of Garanhuns, Pernambuco; her sister, Karla Lopes, of Caruaru; her brothers Matheus Silva and Wellington da Silva of Caruaru; and Elly Tuchler of Orlando, “spiritual mother” as Thati liked to think of her. She is also survived by the following sisters and brothers in law: Teresa Snow and Regina Kuhnemund of Chesapeake, VA; Brenda Werner of Phoenix, AZ; Glenn Gregoire Jr, of San Diego, CA; Melissa Cruea, Priscilla Gregoire, and Keith Walker of Virginia Beach, VA. The following are her surviving nieces and nephews: Raphaela Gouveia of Orlando; Renata Costa of Garanhuns; Otavio and Weverton Belo, and Keirryson da Silva of Caruaru. From her wife Pamela’s side: Jessica Snow and Glenn Cruea of Virginia Beach; Brandon Snow and Autumn Lavender of Chesapeake; Shawntel McGreevy of Sandy Hook, CT; Joshua Kuhnemund and Trenton Lavender of Monroe, CT; and Kailee Schwartz of Moyock, NC. Thati was preceded in death by her father in 2000 in Caruaru; her nephew, Wellington Belo, in 2008 in Caruaru; and her mother in 2017 in Garunhuns. Thatiana spent her childhood in Caruaru and Garanhuns as a relatively good child (she never remembered receiving a spanking), who loved to play hard and get dirty. She would often train horses to let her ride them by taking them into water and getting on their backs. As a young adult she learned how to ride a motorcycle, her favorite sport to participate in was handball, and she could play the hell out of a tambourine. When finished with high school, she worked very hard while also attaining her college degree in Biology. She then went on to pursue a degree in Tourism and traveled to many places in Brazil with her classmates that she grew to love dearly as a result. As a family-oriented person, she always did whatever she could to help, especially when it came to her nieces and nephews. Around her 30th birthday, Thatiana again was thirsting for a new adventure and decided to come to the USA to learn English. She came to the USA in 2003 and began to work several hard labor jobs just for the chance to fulfill her dream to be here and learn English. Shortly after her arrival, she met and fell in love with her wife Pamela. The first two years of bliss were rudely interrupted when ALS began to affect Thati’s nerves. Instead of giving up when they found out that she had ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, Thati and Pamela decided to be defiant and to push forward, living life to the fullest in the face of adversity. Throughout Thati’s battle with ALS, she inspired so many lives with her strength, tenacity, and gratitude for the small things in life. She also loved music and going to concerts, particularly country music. Movies were her second favorite activity, and she enjoyed as many as she could in the movie theater, sometimes even sneaking in an extra movie. In the early years of ALS, Thati also loved to go on road trips to see family and friends, as well as new places. She even went on a 3-city road trip once from Orlando to Nashville, to Memphis, and then to New Orleans. She always loved to try new recipes in the kitchen even though she would not be able to enjoy them for herself. Others always came first, and Thati was always thoughtful and considerate. Most of all, Thati loved to laugh and enjoy the company of all of her friends throughout the years. Her Brazilian ability to party all night stayed strong throughout her life. Thati was a warrior that put up the best fight against ALS that she possibly could. In 2015, after 5 years of being on a ventilator and feeding tube, Thati said that ALS might win in the end, but she was not going to make it an easy victory. And she did not make it easy. She persevered and was on the ventilator and feeding tube for another 3 years, only being able to communicate by a small twitch in her right lower eyelid towards the end. Even before her passing, Thati still set a brilliant example for us all to appreciate life, be grateful for each day, and to make it a priority to pursue our dreams. Bravo Thatiana! We shall celebrate your life always, and forever keep you in our hearts! Vá com Deus In lieu of flowers, please donate to family's GoFundMe account to cover cost of Thatiana's arrangements at: http://gf.me/u/m4tryp To make a donation to ALS research in memory of Thatiana, please go to ALS Therapy Development Institute website at: https://www.als.net/donate/

Thatiana Brasil Gregoire

September 23, 1973 - October 19, 2018